- Ayurvedic Detoxification and Rejuvenation -

Pancha Karma is the cornerstone to Ayurvedic management of disease. Whereas diet, lifestyle and herbal supplements play key roles in creating and maintaining health; Pancha Karma is the process which gets to the root cause of the problem and corrects the essential balance of mind, body, and emotions.

Pancha Karma is not only good for alleviating disease but is also a useful tool in maintaining excellent health. Ayurveda advises undergoing Pancha Karma at the seasonal changes to both keep the metabolism strong and keep toxins from accumulating in the Mind/Body. Using Pancha Karma prior to any rejuvenation treatment (herbal tonics and foods) greatly enhances the beneficial effects; for it cleanses the body, improves the digestion and improves the metabolic processes of the Mind/Body.

What is Pancha Karma? And what is the rational behind the therapy?

The therapeutic management involved with Pancha Karma covers many aspects and is designed to achieve increased efficiency of medicines, foods and rasayanas (tonics). Before medicine, food or rejuvenative tonics are taken, it is essential that the body become receptive so that it is capable of absorbing and assimilating what is being taken and that the accumulated wastes and toxins are eliminated. An analogy of this would be if one tries to dye cloth that is heavily soiled and dirty the dye will not take very well; however, if the same cloth was properly cleaned then dyed the dye would work beautifully. In addition this therapy greatly enhances one's natural immunity thereby providing additional protection from many diseases and disorders.

There are several eliminative procedures in Pancha Karma that assist in eliminating toxins.

Therapeutic enema (basti) works on the colon to eliminate toxins and strengthens the tissues.

Nose drops (nasya) cleanse toxins from the head and sinuses.

Warm oil massage and sweat therapies prepare the body to eliminate the toxins (doshas) from their respective zones. This approach is unique in that it insures that the underlying tissues are not damaged by the elimination procedures mentioned above. This attention to the proper preparation of the body prior to the elimination of toxins is unequal in the health care field and is what makes Pancha Karma so unique and effective.

After Pancha Karma a specific graded diet is followed for seven days to assure that the agni returns to a normal balanced state and that no further Ama (toxins) is formed in the GI tract.

In addition to the previously mentioned karmas there are many other therapeutic techniques that Ayurveda has to offer that can be used singularly or in combination for the desired effect upon the patient.

Pancha Karma treatments under the direction of Pancha Karma specialist Dr. Sunil V. Joshi, MD are available in North America at the Ayurveda Health Center in Albuquerque, NM and in India at the Vinayak Panchkarma Chikitsalaya.